Jaland Lowe notched a triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to lead Pitt to a 93-48 win over Virginia Military Institute on Monday night in Pittsburgh.
Ishmael Leggett contributed 14 points to pace a balanced attack as Pitt (5-0) won its 11th straight home game dating to last year, which is their longest home streak in 10 years.
Guillermo Diaz Graham had 13 points and six rebounds while Cameron Corhen added 12 points and six boards for the Panthers.
Corhen also played a big role on the defensive end, helping hold the top scorer from VMI, Augustinas Kiudulas, to six points. Kiudulas entered with a 21.8-point scoring average.
The Keydets also were hampered by the loss of floor leader Tan Yildizoglu, who rolled his ankle midway through the first half and played only 11 minutes. Yildizoglu entered averaging 7.2 assists per game.
Linus Holmstrom led VMI with 15 points. TJ Johnson added 12 points for the Keydets.
Facing a power-conference team for the first time this year, VMI labored through a nervous start, missing its first seven shots as Pitt ran to a 10-0 lead with all of the points coming from Corhen and Leggett.
Holmstrom finally broke the ice for the Keydets 5:35 into the game, draining a corner 3.
Holmstrom also highlighted the Keydets’ best stretch of the game, making a driving three-point play and a distance 3 to cap a 12-2 run which reduced a 13-point Pitt lead to 21-18 with 5:56 left in the first half.
But the Keydets went cold again, missing their last nine field goal attempts of the half, paving the way for the Panthers to finish the period on an 18-2 spree.
Leggett triggered the run with a 3-pointer and Damian Dunn, who finished with 11 points, added another 3 before Brandin Cummings closed the blitz with a fastbreak slam, which gave Pitt a 39-20 lead at the break.
The Panthers’ superior speed was evident throughout as they outscored the Keydets 27-0 in transition. They led VMI by as many as 47 points late in the second half.
The game was part of the Greenbrier Tip-Off. As part of the tournament, which will conclude in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., Pitt will face LSU on Friday and either Wisconsin or UCF on Sunday.
